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We have all come across literary posts all over social media that make us think, What if? What if we could write as well? What if we get published?

The pre-event, Teezy Tiny Tales, hosted by the Philosophy Department as a preface to the much awaited Aletheia, aims to answer just that.

“What if it’s a daughter?” Asked the mother to a tensed father. 9 months later, Father was annoyed, the brother rejoiced.

“What if you had a phone that could call your past?” “I would ask my mom, what happened to her on Feb 6th 2016 at 6:30 pm, in the last minute of her life.”, the student replied.

“What if there were no authorities? What if there was no power? “The world would have neither developed nor would it have been torn into pieces.”

What if they take away my books forever? The fear never gave her the courage to ask for her tuition fee again.

“What if i told you to hold your breath, hold my hand, look into my eyes and peep into my soul?” You will feel cherished.

What if there were no what ifs? What if, if there were no uncertainties, What if, if everything was so certain as my love for you?

What if wasting paper was a virtue? But i don’t think Scrates would agree, What if writing more than 140 characters would be fine? But i dont think the judge would agree.

Standing amidst accusations of plagiarism, after finally having the courage to submit her work to the publisher, She was forced to wonder: What if I hadn’t posted them anonymously?

Her head scarf ws fluttering in the breeze, the street was decorated by the newly arrived sale for Eid. Ten year old Khaddijah’s gaze didn’t stop at any doll in the long row. “What if i need one in a hijab?”

What if there are as many worlds as many eyes are there? What if my black is your white?

Standing at the crossroads of life, part of a story someone else was writing, the Believer wondered, ‘What If?’

“What if our life was inspired by TTT, and we could only use 140 characters to communicate at a time? Would our lives be simpler? The Twitter controversies suggest otherwise…

Following are the displayed entries from Vignettes, an online photography competition and exhibition organised as part of Aletheia, the annual academic fest of the Department of Philosophy.

The Hand

The hand has a double connotation. For some it defines beliefs such as the deeply embedded lines on our hands. For the others, it defines the courage of raising our hands to question the beliefs made by others. It is time to stop. To stop and think about our beliefs.

Anusha Mital, I Year, Lady Shri Ram College

Caged

Beliefs are equivalent to a cage. You can try to break them down but they only rattle. You can stick your fingers out, but not your hand. They enclose us in unbreakable bonds from all sides, left, right, below and above. How ever will we escape this cage?

Anusha Mital, I Year, Lady Shri Ram College

. . .

But greater joy by far I know

When with sweet faith and eyes aglow

And faith and wisdom here below

Until one day by saving grace he’ll meet his saviour face to face.

Archana Mishra, III Year, Shivaji College

Believing in something and being a part of something you believe in and watching it work and coming from it.

Archana Mishra, III Year, Shivaji College

. . .

We always have faith in god which is not to be questioned.

Adesh Sharma, IV Year, Delhi Technological University

Friendship is a belief which cannot be questioned.

Adesh Sharma, IV Year, Delhi Technological University

. . .

Do our rivers that we consider Holy need to be sacrificed and left in a mess for purification of our souls?

I found this man cleaning the mess at the shores of river Yamuna before taking dip into the Holy river. The board right above his head reads a request and directs the pilgrims not to leave ‘Puja Samagri’ at the shores of the river & to use Dustbins. It’s not our sins that are washed away in the Holy river but the Puja Samagri which eventually dirties the Holy river.

Surya Prakash Sharma, III Year, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce

Are the best plans for their child not the failed dreams of the parent himself/herself?

Is what parents considered best for their child really the best or does it just ties the child to an invisible chain that leaves the child helpless and sometimes the chain eventually breaks shattering the hopes of the parents. What you considered best for yourself may not be the best for your child.

As part of Aletheia, the annual academic meet of the Philosophy Department, Virtuoso, the picture interpretation competition was held, where the participants were given to analyse, ‘ The Scream’ by Edvard Munch. The winning entries are as follow.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music”

A bit trite to be opening up an article on a philosophy blog with a quote by Nietzsche, but it was just too hard to resist including something that so captures some of what I’m are trying to say here. There are ALWAYS going to be people who will never hear the music your thoughts dance to, never see the path you tread and hence assume you are, to quote the infamous Rita Skeeter “nutty as squirrel poo”

Well, to that I say- so what?

Squirrel poo is a mighty beneficial thing, and personally I think there’s nothing to be ashamed of I being compared to such a fine brand of fertilizer. Not a very appetizing thought to most perhaps, but then again, the point is, this is my opinion and it is even now contributing to the wide plethora of opinions outlooks and observations over the internet. So let us contribute 10 more reasons, shall we?

It allows you to be true to yourself
The most obvious (and important) first. The biggest disservice you can do yourself is shape shifting to please your “audience” of the moment. It’s exhausting (even to watch) and, more importantly, pointless. You will never fully develop as an individual and more often than not, fail miserably at your attempt to integrate with a particular club of people. Life has a knack for throwing situations at you that will soon show the world what you are really like, and, ironically, in this judgmental society of ours- there is probably nothing so abhorred as someone deemed to be acting fake in order to ‘fit in’.

It’s a lot less stress
Following naturally from point number one comes this very welcome little extra benefit. Chances are, if you have ever tried to act different to who you know yourself to be, for any reason or time period (and I cannot think of anyone who hasn’t done this at least once) you are familiar with the stress of it all. The anxiety about being found out after one wrong move, the tension of thinking up spontaneous but believable replies to any question anyone may ask the ‘current you’ for want of a better word. All of it combined is positively nerve wracking! Take a break and treat yourself to the luxury of a lot less hassle and worry by casting aside your inhibitions and being completely, completely yourself.

You develop true and lasting relationships
Speaking of how all of this relates to other people and how life is bound to reveal you for who you really are soon enough anyway, consider for a moment how everyone else might react in such a situation. The ones who have known you all along as the wonderful (or not so wonderful) individual that you are will find it no surprise. Those who haven’t, however, are in for a shock and will probably never be the same with you again (at best) or run screaming for the hills (at worst). The fact remains that being yourself will minimize the chances of you surrounding yourself with the aforementioned ‘run for the hills at first sign of change’ variety of person and move toward having relationships with the people who will stick with you through thick and thin-because, after all, when someone knows who you really are and still hang around, they love you for just for being you.

It helps increase your creative potential
It’s only by digging deep into your own self that you discover ideas that resonate with others. You’re able to see WHY you can look at something and love it, hate it, or be bored by it. And once you know why you’re responding that way, you can craft your work to evoke those specific feelings in others.Ask this question to any creative genius you look up to- an artist, an actor, a mathematician, a scientist, a musician or evn that really good paan wala bhaiiya at the corner who’s new combinations make for a mouth watering treat. I guarantee they will all, in their own way, advocate the importance of knowing what YOU like and following what you think sounds, looks, feels or tastes best in order to create a creative masterpiece. Try it, go on.

You contribute so much more to the world
Ever heard of a child who would rather own a box of 12 grey crayons because ‘grey is the new black’? Or even a box of all black for that matter because it is ‘classic’? No! The more the better says the child! A pack of 24 different shades is always better that one with 12, and they wouldn’t say no to a pack of 80 if you can manage it. The same applies to life. Don’t deprive the world of the vibrant purple or cooling green of your thoughts by masking it under the guise of whatever colour block you are determined to be a part of. The world needs YOU, in all your flawed glory, to truly be complete and please that colour loving inner child living inside you and everyone around.

It helps increase self esteem
‘You alone are enough’ said Maya Angelou, ‘you have nothing to prove to anybody’.
When you discover that being yourself truly is enough to have everything you tried to get by being someone else-its enormously beneficial to your own sense of self worth. There are people who want to be friends with you for who you are. There are those who admire you for your own brand of talent. Your opinions are counted-yours, uncensored and unrestricted, not bound by the fetters of anyone else’s expectations. That’s something to be really proud about, something to make you feel good about yourself.

It prepares you for greater success
In life, whether it be a job interview or something more- individuality is always valued. No one wants a workplace full of the same type of people. No one wants a brainstorming session with all the same kind of ideas coming from every direction. No one wants a writer writing books exactly like previous best sellers and no one (except a very accomplished art thief probably) would make an artist who can simply replicate old paintings successful. Every successful idea in this world- be it a theory, a formula, a blueprint, an idea- has always been original, individual and new.

You have the power to say no when you want
Fear of ostracism, unwillingness to be disliked and unwillingness to be considered different and thereby undesirable and strange often lead to people making decisions they ordinarily wouldn’t want to. Peer pressure pushing teenagers everywhere to try drugs is perhaps one of the greatest examples of this. When you are fearlessly yourself, these fears gradually melt away (refer to points 2 and 3) and you have the power to say no to what you don’t want to do and live life on your own terms.

9.You will have fewer regretsPerhaps in an obvious follow up to the previous point, when you make decisions based on what you want and feel will be best for you, chances are that they will be the ones you least regret. This is because when you look back, even at an attempt that failed miserably or a venture that went wrong, you will know that you did all you could and will never be faced with the nagging question of ‘what if?’ gnawing away at your soul. Knowing that you have lived life the way you wanted to, being true to your heart is the best antidote to any possible self pity or regret that might rear its ugly head at some point.

You are a much needed inspiration to others-to all of us.
This one is self explanatory. I need say no more.

Recently having finished reading Anna Karenina-undoubtedly an excellent piece of literature by any standard- I was nonetheless, left a little discomforted. A few aspects of how her character was written, especially the part about her being willing to leave her son to pursue romantic love seemed out of place when weighed against the rest of her character. I therefore decided to attempt a journey into her mind (as a writer) and came up with the following.

A diary entry by Anna Karenina the day before she is officially unfaithful.

I invite all of you to read it, request you to leave your comments and entreat you to hit follow and venture with me into this anecdote that deals with the themes of morality, ethics, God’s will, notions of virtue and the concept of living vs. Existing. Again, I look forward to your comments.

But how does one live without true and passionate love?

It is the food to the soul and the last enduring strain on which a person may yet survive even when deprived of the most basic of sustenance and when one is ripped apart from all that is held dear. It is our immortality-the nourishment to the parched starving wasteland that otherwise is life. To live without receiving it is something many, many unfortunates have managed and they are stronger than I-they have my respect and my admiration for a sacrifice of proportions that are near unfathomable to a selfish soul like mine.

Yet, I may still contrive to comprehend it-for even to one like me, the nobility and palpable goodness of the things held worthy of such a forfeit and soul rending surrender is evident. Love for a child perhaps, is one of the most common that one hears of, with good reason as it is-though I cannot yet be utterly certain-a purer brand of the love I speak of. Honour, duty, dharma and virtuousness, among the innumerable other restrictions placed upon our shoulders by society along with the bitter frustration of spinsters who did not dare to reach for their dreams, alas, fail to move me. Yet I understand them.

I can understand (though I could never do it) how and why people can survive without receiving love.

But to live without giving love, to live with a spirit so barren and dead that it is no longer capable of bestowing the one truly unselfish gift that exists in this universe unto others! That is not to live-but to exist! An existence without sensitivity or compassion-dead as a rock in the frozen vastness of the southern desserts, nay, it would be even worse. For even that rock serves a purpose, its existence still retains a meaning-whereas I, without the faculty to give of myself to others, or deprived of the beings I cherish more than life itself to give myself to- I would weaken and waste away into nothingness.

To continue what I am doing and cement it irreversibly and irrevocably tomorrow- it is considered a sin. The bond of matrimony made between Alexei and I is said to be one made by God, only to be broken by a crime against God himself. But how can it be? God cannot, WOULD NOT deny us such happiness-for if he does, he is selfish and no God of mine.

It is fruitless to any longer wish for peace. For him and I, there can be no peace. We may only experience the most devastating loss and constant unending misery apart from one another-or the most liberating and happiness and dizzying dozes of joy.